GitLab Announces YubiKey U2F Support

GitLab, an open source code repository and collaborative development platform, has announced that it has complemented its support for FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) authentication with support for YubiKey second-factor hardware from Yubico.

In a statement announcing the moves, GitLab Engineering VP Stan Hu said that the organization “has long support two-factor authentication via a mobile application,” but is now able to heighten that security with its support of Yubico’s devices, which offer physical hardware keys that can be synced with users’ computers and mobile devices to verify their identities.

It’s a move that echoes efforts by code repository service GitHub, which enabled U2F support last year in collaboration with Yubico. It also appears to reflect a growing awareness of the benefits of mutli-factor authentication in the IT industry more broadly, with Google having just announced expanded support for its “2-Step Verification” security protocol earlier this week.

For GitLab’s part, Hu explained that the organization is “committed to securing our user’s work with proven, seamless solutions,” calling the YubiKey U2F support “a logical step towards that goal.”